Goblin Hunt

The two town guards from earlier were still posted at the village entrance.

One of them spotted her.

"......"

The guard beside him recognized Min a moment later.

Min stopped in front of them.

"Excuse me."

"Yes?"

"Where are the goblins?"

"......Goblins, you say?"

"Yes."

The guard regarded her for a moment.

"If you're looking outside the village, there are plenty in the East ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Forest."

He pointed off to one side.

"Follow this road and you'll reach the forest. They show up around there quite often."

"Thank you."

Min gave a slight nod, then walked straight out of the village.

The two guards watched her receding back.

"......Why's she looking for goblins?"

"No idea."

They exchanged a silent glance.

The forest wasn't far. Min walked in the direction the guard had indicated, and before long she was among the trees.

"......"

She looked around. Trees. Grass. More trees. Not a goblin in sight.

She kept walking.

A rustle.

Min stopped. Something had moved in the undergrowth a short distance away. A moment later, a small green-skinned figure emerged. Two of them.

"Found you."

Min turned toward them. The goblins spotted her too.

"......"

Their eyes met for a brief instant. One goblin's eyes went wide. Then it spun around, and the other immediately followed. Both vanished into the forest in a heartbeat.

"Ah."

Min gave chase a beat too late. The goblins darted between the trees, and she ran after them — but the gap only widened. She finally stopped.

"They're fast."

The goblins were already gone.

"......"

She'd come here to hunt them, but they ran the moment she got close. This was a problem.

She started wandering the forest again. After walking for some time, she spotted a single goblin. It didn't seem to have noticed her yet — crouched under a tree, rummaging through something.

Min quieted her footsteps and approached slowly. A few steps. A little closer.

The goblin lifted its head.

"......"

Their eyes met. The goblin spun around instantly.

"Ah."

It was gone in a flash. This time she didn't chase it. She couldn't catch it anyway.

"......"

She thought for a moment. She couldn't get close, and she had no way to attack from a distance. No offensive magic. No bow and arrows.

She looked around for something to throw. A few stones caught her eye, and she picked one up.

"......"

She looked in the direction the goblin had fled. She had no confidence she could actually hit it. Her Strength was 1 to begin with. She set the stone back down.

Min scanned her surroundings — and spotted a sizable brick a short distance away.

"......"

She had no idea why there was a brick in the forest. She walked over and picked it up. It was fairly heavy. Hitting something with this would probably kill it. The problem was that she couldn't actually land a hit.

Min stood there holding the brick, thinking. Then she looked up. The sky showed through the branches.

"......"

An idea came to her.

"Status."

Compared to when she'd first climbed a tree, her mana had doubled. Back then she'd barely gotten off the ground before hitting empty. Now she could probably stay airborne for close to a minute.

The mana that ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had been steadily draining began to refill. Min sat down against a nearby tree.

"......"

She waited.

Six minutes later, Min picked up the brick.

Her body slowly rose. Her feet left the ground, and she drifted upward bit by bit. Once she'd gained enough height, she stopped.

"......"

She looked down. Still holding the brick, Min began to drift slowly over the forest canopy.

Her mana kept ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠draining, but she had far more to spare than the first time.

A short while later, something green showed through the trees. A goblin. Min stopped moving. It didn't seem to have noticed her from below.

She shifted her position slowly, gliding until she was directly above its head.

"......"

She looked down. The goblin looked tiny. She opened her hand.

The brick fell.

A whoosh of air — then a heavy, wet thud.

"......"

The goblin crumpled to the ground and didn't move.

"It works."

She lowered her altitude until her feet touched the earth.

Min walked over to the fallen goblin. The brick lay beside its head.

"......"

It was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠dead. She picked the brick back up. She could probably take a few more with this.

Then she remembered what they'd told her at the guild. Just bring back the right ear as proof of the kill.

"......"

Min crouched in front of the goblin and looked at its right ear. She didn't have a knife. For a moment, she stared at the dead goblin's hand.

"......"

Some time later, Min was walking through the forest with a crude old knife in one hand and a goblin ear wrapped in a scrap of cloth. She didn't feel great about it. But she'd found a method.

Take the brick and go up. Find a goblin. Move over its head. Drop. Done.

Simpler than she'd expected. The problem was mana. She could stay airborne for a while, but she couldn't keep flying indefinitely. After each kill, she had to come down and wait.

"......"

The waiting took longer than the hunting. Min sat down against a tree and watched the numbers climb.

"......"

Min closed the status window.

An hour later, she emerged from the forest. Five goblin ears sat wrapped in the scrap of cloth. The village was visible in the distance, and she walked toward it.

Before long, the familiar entrance came into view. The two guards were still standing in the same spot.

"You're back already?"

"Yes."

Min walked straight between them. The two guards' eyes met once more.

The guild door opened, and Min stepped inside. The receptionist at the counter looked up — and her eyes widened a little at the sight of her.

"You're back already?"

"Yes."

Min walked up to the counter and set down the bundle of cloth.

"Here."

"I'll take a look."

The receptionist unwrapped the cloth. Goblin ears spilled out. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. She looked back at Min.

"Did you hunt all of these today?"

"Yes."

"......Understood."

The receptionist inspected the ears one by one. After a moment, she finished and spoke again.

"Pardon me, but may I ask one thing?"

"Yes."

"How did you kill them?"

Min thought for a second.

"With a brick."

"......I'm sorry?"

"A brick."

"......"

The two of them stared at each other for a long moment.

A short while later, Min stepped out of the guild with a small pouch of fifty copper coins in her hand. She headed straight for the inn.

A bell chimed as she entered, and the innkeeper recognized her at once.

"Ah, you're back."

Min pulled out the pouch of copper.

"I'll take a room for the night."

She paid twenty-five copper and received a key.

"End of the hall, second floor."

Min climbed the stairs and opened the door at the far end. The room was small. One bed. One little table. One chair.

She shut the door, set the old knife and the pouch of remaining coins on the table, and looked at the bed. She felt too grimy to just lie down.

"......"

Min hesitated for a moment.

I can just wash with this, right?

A faint wash of mana swept over her body. The dirt and the smell clinging to her vanished.

"Oh, yeah."

Min walked over to the bed and lay down. She sank into it.

"......"

Softer than she'd expected. The sun was still a long way from setting. Min closed her eyes.

"Ah. Right."

She opened them again.

She closed her eyes once more.